Australian dug himself, wife and two friends out of Everest Avalanche only to die after reaching base camp

An Australian man dug himself, his wife and two friends out of an avalanche near Mount Everest only to die after reaching the bottom of the mountain.

Dean Higgins, 60, was buried for six hours after a night-time avalanche covered their camp in snow, ice and rocks, killing three local porters.

Wearing only a t-shirt, he helped to rescue his wife, Wendy, and his friends and they trekked for eight hours in darkness to reach safety. But he died of hypothermia.

“He ended up saving everyone else but he was only wearing a T-shirt and he was unable to save himself,” said Keith Caine, a family friend who spoke to Mrs Higgins.

“He had to be carried, he was just so exhausted. He was alive at the bottom and then passed away.”

The couple were due to return from their trek to their home in Adelaide Friday.

A local tourist agency organized a trip for the four tourists to an off-limits area on Sunday evening, according to the Xinhua News Agency. The group of 10, which included three herders who acted as porters, two cooks and a tour guide, encountered an avalanche.

State broadcaster CCTV said 154 people who had been stranded by the avalanche were rescued Tuesday, 86 at the Everest base camp on the mountain’s Chinese side.